Jane Austen considered a good marriage one in which the two people loved each other and at least one of them had money. Col.%26gt; Fitzwilliam says as much to Elizabeth in P%26amp;P, implying that if they weren't both almost penniless, he'd be actively courting her..
As for those five marriages in P%26amp;P,
Bennet- passable. He was originally attracted to her for her looks and overlooked the rather common streak in her, but they seem to get on comfortably.
Collins - awful. She's desperate, at 27, to be married, largely because it's the only proper career open to a woman of her background, so she evidently attracts him by flirting with him. Soon after the marraige it's plain that she can barely stand him (although he's probably unaware of that fact). .Yet they have a baby.
Wickham - least likely of the five to last. Lydia seems to love Wickham, but at her age it's more likely that she just loves the romantic idea. He led her to believe they were running away to be married and then didn't marry her until Mr. Darcy paid him to.
Bingley - perfectly happy. Two attractive, kind-hearted, amiable people who will no doubt grow old together in lasting devotion.
Darcy - also an excellent marriage, this time between two clever people with a capacity for being sharp-tongued. But they, too, love each other. If she can put up with Lady Catherine, he can put up with Mrs. Bennet; and when they're away from those ladies, life will be fun.What does Jane Austen consider to be a good marriage?
I'm guessing this is your homework? Let me prompt you: I can think of two couples who are genuinely happy together. It follows that theirs are the best marriages.
Which two couples am I thinking of, and why are they the happiest?
No comments:
Post a Comment